You Need a Survival Kit

Every year we experience weather related disasters: hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, snow storms, floods, fires, and droughts. Fortunately, most of us come through disasters and have tales to tell of the inconvenience, but some people have extreme experiences with severe impacts. Some of this can be prevented with a good disaster plan. This is especially true if you care for someone with a disability. People with disabilities may be 4 times as likely to die in a natural disaster. Planning is important for the caregiver and the care recipient. Lack of access to means to manage basic needs is 84% more likely for people with disabilities than for the general population. This is a statistic that you have the power to change. Develop a plan. One of the requirements of a good plan is the creation of a survival kit.

According to the American Red Cross, your survival kit should include the following:

·Food (at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food)

·Water (one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation)

• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
• Flashlight
• First aid kit
• Extra batteries
• Whistle (to signal for help)
• Dust mask (to help filter contaminated air)
• Plastic sheeting, scissors and duct tape (to shelter in place)
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties (for personal sanitation)
• Wrench or pliers (to turn off utilities)
• Manual can opener (for food)
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery
• Copies of important papers (birth certificate, health insurance ID, Social Security card, property deed, important phone numbers, name of healthcare provider)

A survival kit doesn’t provide unlimited resources, but it can increase the chance of surviving on your own for a few days until help arrives.

The most important part of a survival plan is thinking through your options and resources in advance of a disaster. If you had to evacuate your home, where would you go? If you were taken to an emergency shelter, what would you need to survive in a shelter for a few days? Who would you call in an emergency? Have you prepared a list of people you’d call with their phone numbers?